HAVE YOU SEEN JENNY?

“Where’s Jenny?” Daddy inquired. He had come into the house to get a drink of water. It was about eleven o’clock in the forenoon.

“I thought she was out in the shop with you,” cried Mother, becoming a little alarmed.

“Nope. The last I saw of her she was playing with the little red wagon.. About a half an hour ago.”

Mother went to the door and called, “Jen-ny! Jen-ny!” But there was no answer.

“I’ll go find her,” Daddy said, and strode quickly out the door. The little wagon tracks in the dust led out the driveway. He followed them to the road, and looking southward, he saw a tiny figure clad in overalls trudging slowly up the road at the top of the hill, pulling behind her, a red wooden “tot sized” wagon which he had built. He hastened to overtake her.

Jenny heard footsteps. She turned and said, “I’m goin’ to meet Margaret.”

Yesterday afternoon Mother and Jenny had gone up the road a ways to meet Margaret as she was coming home from school. She said that maybe they would do this again.

“But Margaret won’t be home from school for a long time,” Daddy explained. “We still have to eat dinner, and then it will be a long time after that.”

“Oh,” answered Jenny , vaguely disappointed.

“You mustn’t go off like that any more. Daddy doesn’t like his little girl to run away.”

“Carry me, Daddy.”

She was tired from the long trek, so Daddy put her on his back and Jenny put the wagon on her back. She liked being up so high. She smiled at the idea that she was on Daddy’s back and the wagon was on her back. After what seemed to be a long time, they reached the yard and went into the house, where Mother gave her a hug and a kiss. Then Jenny went back out into the yard, and began picking up pieces of rubber that had once been a big white ball with blue stars. A long time ago Daddy had run over it with the tractor. She could still see many of the blue stars.